Absolutely Average

Scouser’s Thursday 13 this week consists of 13 ingredients for Chicken with Yellow bean sauce.

1. 450g / 1lb Skinless, bonless chicken breasts.
2. 1 Egg white, beaten.
3. 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch).
4. 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar.
5. 1 tbsp light soy sauce.
6. 1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar.
7. 3 tbsp vegetable oil.
8. 1 Garlic clove, crushed.
9. 1 cm / 1/2 inch piece fresh root ginger, grated.
10. 1 green bell pepper, seeded & diced.
11. 2 large mushrooms, sliced.
12. 3 tbsp yellow bean sauce.
13. Yellow or green (bell) pepper strips to garnish.

Trim any fat from the chicken. Cut the meat into 2.5 cm / 1 inch cubes.

Mix the egg white and cornflour (cornstarch) in a shallow bowl. Add the chicken and turn in the mixture to coat. Leave to stand for 20 mins.

Mix the vinegar, soy sauce & sugar in a bowl.

Remove the chicken from the egg white mixture.

Heat the oil in a preheated wok, add the chicken and stir fry for 3 - 4 mins until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the wok with a slotted spoon, set asside & keep warm.

Add the garlic, ginger, (bell) pepper & mushrooms to the wok and stir fry for 1 - 2 mins.

Add the yellow bean sauce and cook for 1 min, stir in the vinegar mixture and return the chicken to the wok. Cook for 1 - 2 mins and serve hot, garnished with (bell) pepper strips.

This is a dish I have eaten regularly as a child and is most welcome on a cold winter night.

*Ingredients*
_serves 4-6_

# 1/2 pound of stewing steak
# 1/2 pound of breast of lamb
# 1 large onion
# 1 pound of carrots
# 5 pounds of potatoes
# 2 “OXO”:http://www.oxo.co.uk cubes (_beef stock cubes_)
# 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
# Salt & Pepper
# water

*Cooking instructions*
_cooked slowly for approx. 4 hours_

Dice the meat into large cubes & lightly brown in the vegetable oil.

Place meat into a large saucepan, chop onion into large chunks and add to the meat. Add sliced carrots and 1 pound of finely chopped potatoes.

Half fill saucepan with cold water and then crumble the stock cubes into the water. Add salt & pepper to season.

Simmer for 2 hours, stiring occasionally. Peel the remaining potatoes and chop roughly, add these to the saucepan and simmer for another 2 hours.

Serve hot with crusty bread.

The _Scouse_ can be made in advance and kept covered & refrigerated for up to 2 days and reheated in a saucepan. _The dish usually tastes better after being reheated_.

*Ingredients*
_Serves 2-3_

# 6 large eggs
# 1 medium onion
# 1 pound skinned chopped tomatoes (or 1 tin chopped tomatoes)
# 4 ounces mild green chilli peppers
# 1 ounce margarine (it must be margarine, oil doesn’t work so well)
# 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
# salt for seasoning
# water

*Cooking Instructions*

Peel and finely slice the onion. Remove most (but not all) of the seeds from the chillis then slice them into rings, keeping as many seeds as required for hotness.

Melt the margarine into a large frying pan then add the onions & chillis. Sweat the onions until they become soft. Add the tomatoes and allow to reduce (at a fairly high heat) for approx 10 minutes. While the tomatoes are doing, beat the eggs with the salt and pepper.

When there is almost no liquid left in the tomatoes, add a small quantity of water and the beaten eggs. Stir the mixture until the eggs have all firmed up and the dish is ready to serve with crusty bread and a salad garnish.